New Year
by peachy88
Summary: It's the start of a new year! But just because it's a new year things don't just change from one day to the other...do they?
1. Awakening

_Crash! _

_Something broke outside._

'…huh…?'

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head off of her pillow.

_Throb_

'Ow, my head…..what time is it?', she thought, lying her head back down and grabbing her alarm clock from her bedside table. '…2:30 p.m.?! Did I really sleep this long?…'

It was New Year's Day and 16 year-old Hyuuga Hinata had just woken up. She wasn't surprised she had slept until this hour, after the huge party she had attended the night before. It had been a lot of fun, really: great music, all her friends were there, and then the fireworks…well, truth be said, she couldn't remember it all that clearly.

'Damn that Kiba, spiking the punch again…', she thought, a small smile forming on her lips. 'Well, what matters is that it was great and I had fun'.

She went to get out of bed when suddenly she felt slightly stuck. Behind her, something was grabbing her by her waist. Something big and warm.

As the shutters on her window were almost completely closed, the room was dark, so she couldn't see very well. She thought of using her Byakugan, but figured her head was hurting too much to concentrate properly. So, she slowly reached back over her shoulder with her hand, trying to feel whatever was holding her. She felt a large lump, which was moving up and down very slowly. With her other hand she felt under the sheet and she touched what seemed like an arm.

"W-what the…", she whispered.

She slowly turned to the other side so she was facing the strange body. As she did, she heard a faint grunt coming from under the sheet and she felt the mattress shift.

"Hmph…what…?", someone said groggily.

_That voice…_

"N-Neji nii-san?!", said Hinata, quickly setting into a sitting position on the bed. She felt a sudden cold. She looked down and saw she was stark naked. As was him.

"OH MY GOD!" She covered herself, yanking the sheet up from the bed.

Neji felt the sheet being pulled and opened his eyes. "...what?…Hinata-sama?! Wh-what are you doing here?", he said, waking up instantly.

"Th-that would be my question, Neji nii-san…t-this is _my_ bed…what happened here?!"

"Your bed?", he said, looking at his surroundings. "But…but how…what…how did I end up here?!", he asked, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"I-I don't know…I h-hardly remember how I got here m-myself…p-please look away Neji nii-san, I'm naked!!", she said, her face red as a tomato.

"Sorry", he said, looking the other way instead. "Um, Hinata-sama…do you remember anything from last night?"

"W-well…" Hinata closed her eyes and concentrated on thinking about the night before. She remembered feeling a little out of place at first, seeing all those people dancing and socializing while she just stood there in a corner watching. Then Shino and Kiba had joined her and Kiba had offered her a drink.

'And several others after that…', she thought, chuckling inside.

Then, Sakura had come along and dragged her to the dance floor, and she remembered having a great time dancing with Lee and Naruto. She also remembered talking to Neji about something particularly interesting and watching the fireworks beside him…then some more dancing…a game…Naruto completely drunk…Neji again...and then?

_This was not good._

"I-I do, but only minor things...a-and you?"

"Not much either...drinking, talking, putting up with Lee and his 'youthfulness', and then coming home...with someone. You, apparently.", Neji said, with a slight tone of surprise.

"So y-you were the one who b-brought me home..."

"Yes, it seems so...from what I recall you were quite drunk, and I wasn't thinking clearly myself...then I put you in your bed...and from then on I can't remember much, but..." He trailed off.

"But?"

"But...then I remember it was very warm, and there was a bed...I thought it was my bed..."

"N-now that you mention it, I remember getting into my bed. Y-yes...that's right, I got into my bed a-and I was talking to someone, and then the warmth...the heat..."

"And then we both woke up here. In your bed. With no clothes on." Neji said blankly.

"Neji nii-san, a-are you s-suggesting that..." Hinata asked warily.

"...maybe we did something we shouldn't have done?" Neji finished her sentence, glancing sideways at her.

An awkward silence followed.

"O-only one way to find out, then, I guess...", said Hinata, after a moment. And with that, she dived under the sheet.

"What do you mean, Hinata-sama?"

"I mean that i-if indeed it happened, t-there should be some-" She suddenly stopped talking.

"...some what?"

And Neji heard Hinata say the one thing he never thought he would hear from her. And those two little words said everything.

"Oh shit..."


	2. Headache and Denial

**Hi!**

**Sorry for the slightly late update...I've been surrounded by people for the past two days and I haven't had a free minute since. Well, here it is! Hope you like it!**

**And thank you so much for the reviews I've been getting, both for this fic and the other one I've written before XD  
**

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After that extremely awkward moment, both Hinata and Neji had stayed speechless for what seemed like hours (but in reality had been a lot less), staring blankly at each other for a few seconds, and then at some different corner of the room, neither of them knowing what to think or say. After a while, Neji managed to snap out of his shocked state. He quickly got up from the bed and slowly started to get dressed, turning away from Hinata so she would be a little more at ease. He picked up her nightshirt from a nearby chair and threw it to her, so she could cover herself. When he finished dressing himself, he turned back to her. Hinata was looking at her lap, seemingly in deep thought. As he opened his mouth to speak, though, her head bolted upwards and she looked at him.

"L-let's just pretend it never happened."

"Excuse me?"

"Y-yes, nii-san...l-let's simply pretend it was a dream. You brought me home, you were tired, we fell asleep o-on my bed. Simple as that."

Neji furrowed his eyebrows, thinking for a few seconds, and then looked at her. "Are...are you really okay with that? I mean..."

"Y-yes, why not?...I-I mean, if you are too..."

"Y-yeah, sure...and as to why we were…you know, naked?"

"It w-was a hot night."

"On New Year's Eve?", Neji said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Very strange weather indeed.", she said, the corners of her mouth forming a small smile.

"Ok then, So…guess we'll, um…talk later?"

"R-right…I g-guess so…be c-careful so no one sees you leaving, nii-san", she said.

He activated his Byakugan to check if there was someone on the hall. Seeing it empty, he quietly opened the door and exited swiftly, leaving Hinata alone in the bedroom. She let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes.

As soon as she got up from her bed, a wave of nausea and dizziness filled her, and she rushed to the bathroom and threw the entire contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"That's what I get for drinking more than I should…Damn you Kiba, you're gonna pay…"

Feeling sweaty and smelly, she got up and headed for the shower. She turned on the water and took off the nightshirt Neji had given her, stepping inside the shower. The water was a little bit too hot but she didn't even notice. As she felt the water droplets falling on top of her skin, she thought about the past hour. Those little red spots on her sheet had confirmed it. She didn't remember a thing (maybe it was for the better), but there was no doubt that it had happened.

'Nothing happened. It was just a dream. A twisted dream about me and my cousin.'

'_Your extremely __sexy__ cousin_...'. Hinata's conscience started messing with her.

'Stop it, I don't think of Neji like that...'

'_He_'_s hot.._.'

'Yes, he is quite good-looking...b-but he's still my cousin!'

'_So?_'

'So, that's wrong.'

'_Why?_'

'Cause it just is…and even if it wasn't, he doesn't even like me as his cousin, let alone more than that...and he must hate me even more right now.'

'_Are you sure? What if you_'_re wrong and he secretly has like a huge crush on you and stuff?_'

'Yeah, as if that could ever happen. Stop being perverted....wait, why am I even having this conversation with _myself_?! Great, aside from having been extremely drunk and slee...I mean, _waking up next_ to my cousin, now I've gone crazy as well...', she thought, scowling.

After getting dressed, Hinata got out of her room and headed for the dining room to grab something to eat. Hanabi was sitting on a chair, finishing her lunch. Next to her, on the table, were some sandwiches and a jar of orange juice. Hinata sat next to her sister and grabbed a turkey sandwich.

"Happy New Year, nee-san!!", yelled Hanabi when she saw Hinata.

"Ugh, please don't yell, Hanabi-chan, my head hurts…"

"Oops…sorry!"

"And Happy New Year to you too", Hinata said, smiling. "So…d-did you have fun yesterday at the Genin party?"

"Yeah, I did, there were a lot of really hot guys there, and one of them was hitting on me and tried to grab my…"

"Hanabi!", said Hinata, wide-eyed.

"I'm kidding nee-san!", Hanabi said, laughing. "You're so gullible…but yes, it was fun. How about you?"

"Um, y-yes, I had fun…it was nice."

'_Until you came home and…_' Her conscience started again.

'Stop it, I said. It never happened.', Hinata thought.

"Hey, nee-san! Are you listening?" Hanabi waved a hand in front of Hinata's eyes.

"Oh…sorry, Hanabi-chan, what were you saying?"

"I asked if you had any nightmares this past night."

"Um…I-I don't think s-so, why?" Hinata asked, confused.

"When I came back home, I heard you moaning and whimpering at some point in the night…and calling for Neji nii-san. I thought about fetching him, but I figured he must still be at the party, or otherwise already sleeping."

"M-m-moaning, you say?…A-and calling for N-Neji?" Hinata's face began to turn pink.

"Yes…but it must've been just a dream, right?"

"Y-yes, I guess s-so…"

'_Some dream it was…_'

"Hina-nee-san, are you alright? Your face is flushed…" Hanabi said in a concerned tone.

"W-what? Y-yes, I-I'm alright…I feel fine…I-I just need some rest."

"Ok, if you say so…I'm gonna send Neji nii-san to keep you company anyways."

"N-Neji??"

"Yes, Neji, he'll take care of you. Well, I must be off now, Otou-san was looking for me earlier. See ya, nee-chan!", Hanabi said, walking out of the room and leaving Hinata by herself.

"No, w-wait!…" But Hanabi had already run off. Hinata just stood there, her heart thumping madly in her ribcage..

'_Oh, so it's not a _"_dream_"_ anymore, is it?_'

'I seriously need some aspirin...'

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**Maybe a little OOC...please don't hate me!**

**Anywho, hope you liked it :) I'll be updating as soon as I can!**

**PLEASE R&R, it makes me very very happy! X3  
**


	3. Remembering

**Hi!**

**So here's chapter three! **

**Note: As for the extreme OOCness in this chapter, they're both drunk, so they're supposed to be a little out of character. Anywho, hope you like it, and thank you very much for all the reviews I've been getting!!**

**Oh, and as I've forgotten the disclaimer in the last two chapters:**

**I don't own anything, please don't sue me!  
**

**Thanks for reading!**

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_"So…guess we'll, um…talk later?"_

_"R-right…I g-guess so…be c-careful so no one sees you leaving, nii-san", she said._

_ - - -  
_

Neji got out of Hinata's room and sprinted noiselessly to his own. He closed the door behind him and let himself fall on the bed.

'Please tell me this did not happen…please let this all be a dream, very twisted dream, like she said…'.

_'But you saw the proof…and you remember bits of yesterday, don't you?'_

'I…'

He could recall small flashes from the night before. He remembered sitting on a chair on a corner of the room. After the drinking game he had won against Tenten, his stomach was jumping up and down, he felt extremely light-headed and his eyesight was a little fuzzy, but he felt strangely relaxed and in a good mood. Tenten was snoring loudly on the chair next to his.

He remembered seeing his cousin on the other side of the room, performing a ridiculous dance with a fairly drunk Naruto, both singing along loudly. He had burst out laughing at the funny sight, but he knew that it was time for both of them to go home. He got up and zigzagged his way towards her. He felt like his brain was shutting down and his whole body was moving on its own.

_"Hinata-sama, we should be going."_

_"…huh? But Neeeeji, I'm dancing!", she said in a slurred voice._

_"But Hinata-sama, your dance is utterly pathetic!", he said, his voice also a little slurred._

_"No it's not, I'm Hina the Dancing Queeeeen! Come dance with me!", she yelled enthusiastically, grabbing his hands._

_"No way. Come on, 'your Majesty' ...", he answered, laughing._

He had grabbed Hinata by her waist and carried her over his shoulder. On their way out they had passed by a closet, in which stood Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari, passionately making out.

_"Get a room, lovebirds!!", shouted Hinata from behind Neji's back, who started chuckling madly._

Then a blank period…and then he remembered walking home, still carrying her on his back. She looked like she was asleep because she had been quiet for most of the walk home, but suddenly she started talking again.

_"Neji nii-san, have I ever told you how beautiful you hair is?"_

_"What? My hair?"_

_"Yes, nii-san's hair is very very pretty and it smells like flowers!", she laughed. "I wish everyone had such beautiful hair like my dear Neji nii-san.". She started stroking his hair with her fingers._

_Neji blushed slightly. "Oh really? Your 'dear Neji nii-san', am I? Since when?" He decided to tease her. He started feeling light-headed again._

_"Since always. Neji-nii was also my dear nii-san…but Neji doesn't like Hina-chan anymore…"_

_"Says who?" He looked behind his shoulder._

_"Says me. Neji-nii used to like me when we were little, and used to play with me and care for me, but now he hates me because I'm weak and useless.", she said, her voice trembling._

_"I don't know who told you that but it couldn't be farther from the truth. I care for you and I do like you. You may not be the strongest person, but you have many qualities. For example, you are smart and kind and you worry about others. And for that I admire you…Hina-hime.", he said, smiling._

_"So you are my dear Neji nii-san after all…see? I was right!", she said, poking his ribs._

_"Maybe I am…stop it, that tickles!"_

Then...shortly after, they finally arrived at the compound. After tickling him senseless (with him fighting back), Hinata had insisted she could walk the rest of the way, and so she was now strolling beside him with an arm around his waist for support.

_"Well, we're here. Do you want me to escort you to you room, Hinata-sama?"_

_"No, thank you, Neji nii-san, I can get there on my own…"_

They had stared at each other for a moment, neither daring to break the eye contact, and suddenly, out of nowhere, they were kissing.

'…And that's where it all started', though Neji, sighing. He didn't remember much of what happened after that, as his brain had completely shut down. He did, however, remember one last thing. An image that had been carved on his mind. An image of Hinata, lying on her bed with her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted, and her delicate face flushed.

'_So there you have it, it was real and there's no use denying it.'_

'Yes, I'm aware of that…how did I, Hyuuga Neji, supposed prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, allow something like this to happen?'

_'Very simple. You drank too much and you…'_

'Shut up, I know _how_ it happened…and with Hinata-sama on top of it. Small, innocent Hinata-sama…'

_'Cute, charming Hinata-sama…'_

'Stop it, she's my little cousin, for goodness sake…I'm supposed to protect her, not harm her.'

_'That didn't matter yesterday night, did it?'_

'Are you trying to make me feel even worse?'

_'You're doing a fine job on your own…'_

Neji gave a deep sigh. 'And as if weren't enough, she's also the heiress to the Clan. God, Hiashi-sama will kill me if he finds out…'

_'You're screwed…literally. Haha, I made a joke!'_

'Oh, piss off. I'm going to take a bath.', Neji grumbled.

- - -

After a small while, Neji finished his bath and was combing his hair when someone knocked on his door.

"Neji nii-san are you in here?", he heard the voice of his younger cousin ask.

"Yes, Hanabi-san, you may enter."

"Nii-san, could you go keep nee-san a little company? I don't think she's feeling too well?…"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well, I was talking to her and she started getting all flushed and hot…and last night I think she was having some kind of nightmare, because she kept calling for you."

"O-oh…is that so?" His cheeks suddenly felt very hot.

"Yes. Could you please go check on her, nii-san?"

"Um, sure. I-I'll be right there."

"Thanks a million! Well, gotta run now, see ya!"

"Bye…" Neji stood staring blankly at the door for a moment.

_'This is gonna be fun…'_

"And it just keeps getting better…", Neji said, scowling, as he got up and exited his room.  
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**  
Yeah, I know the ending was a bit crappy, I'm sorry, but it's 3 a.m. here, so bear with me peoples! I promise the next chapter will be better.**

**Thanks for reading! And Please R&R, reviews are like candy to my soul! XD**


	4. Conversation

**Hi there!**

**I'm awfully sorry for the time it took to post this new chapter, but I had a MASSIVE writer's block, and also I just came back home from Xmas break, so I haven't had that much time to write either...**

**Anyway, hope you like this one (I know it's shorter than the previous ones), and once again thank you for all the reviews!**

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"Hinata-sama…"

Hinata was still sitting on her chair in the dining room, with an elbow set upon the table, leaning her head on her open palm, her eyes closed. After having had something to eat, she felt a whole lot better, the sickness had subsided considerably, but she still felt tired and drowsy. As the day went by she had started to remember some more details from the night before. As she heard Neji's voice, her head shot up.

"Hinata-sama, are you in here?…" She heard him coming closer to the door.

He opened the door and just stood at the entrance of the room, looking at her.

"N-Neji nii-san…". She couldn't stand to look at him so she averted her eyes to the wall behind him.

"Um…Hanabi-san said you weren't feeling well, i-is everything alright?", he asked, his face showing concern.

"Y-yes, it is, nii-san, everything's f-fine, I'm j-just a little tired, t-that's all. Hanabi tends to worry too much…"

"Are you sure? I can go get some aspirin, I-if you want…" he said, his eyes scrutinizing her.

"No, r-really, nii-san, i-it's fine. But I w-would appreciate a cup of tea…I-if you don't mind, t-that is.", she said, glancing at his face with a small smile.

"Um, sure thing. I'll be right back." He turned away and exited the room. Hinata stared at his back as he walked away.

'That wasn't so bad for a start…', she thought. 'He's acting nicer than usual, could it be that he feels guilty or something?…no, not likely, he's probably doing this as an obligation and hates me more than ever.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Neji, who was carrying a small tray with two cups of steamy, nice smelling liquid. He put the tray on top of the table and sat across from Hinata. Both of them sat in silence for a while, each looking at their own hands. After a while, Neji spoke.

"S-so, um…Hinata-sama, how…how are you doing?"

"I-I'm fine, nii-san…y-you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks…"

Another moment of awkward silence ensued. Hinata kept looking at her hands and fidgeting, and Neji stared at the wall beside him.

"I'm sorry!" they both exclaimed suddenly.

"What? N-nii-san…"

"Hinata-sama…I-I'm the one who's sorry, I should have been more responsible.", he said, looking down.

"N-no, nii-san, it's all m-my fault, I was the one w-who drank too much and…"

"You're allowed to have fun, Hinata-sama…I was supposed to look out for you, and I failed miserably…"

"But you did l-look out for me, nii-san, you brought me home a-and you made sure I was ok."

"And I harmed you right after that…what kind of protector is one who abuses the person he's protecting?"

"Y-you didn't abuse me, I didn't t-tell you to stop either…a-and from what I can recall, I was the one who s-started it in the first place."

"And I went along with it when could have stopped it, but I let my hormones take over. Kami, I'm so disgusting…"

"Nii-san, please don't say that! You're not disgusting, you're _human_. You didn't force me into anything. A-although not on my best judgment, I did it o-of my own free will. A-and I'm the one who should be apologizing. I already cause you enough trouble, a-and now this…", she said, averting her eyes.

"Hinata-sama…" _How can she still be so sweet, after what happened? _"You have no reason to apologize, you're no trouble at all."

"W-well then, neither do you, nii-san, you didn't do anything against me. A-and besides, we can't change it now, c-can we?"

"No, we can't…I guess you're right, Hinata-sama, we can't blame ourselves for the rest of our lives. But still…"

" 'Still' nothing, nii-san. I-it's done, so d-don't worry any more about it."

"Fortunately no one found out about it…"

"W-we'd be dead if they did, t-that's for sure…"

"Find out what?" Hanabi entered the room.

"H-Hanabi-chan!"

Both Hinata and Neji jumped on their seat.

"Hi again nee-chan, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I-I'm better, Neji nii-san brought me some tea…Um, s-so, what did Otou-san want?"

"Nothing important, he just wanted to talk to me about my latest mission. So, what is it that no one found out about, huh?"

"Um, nothing!", said Hinata.

"Tell me."

"I'm telling you, imouto, i-it's nothing…"

"Nee-chan…I'm not stupid."

"If you must really know, Hanabi-san…it's about one of our companions. Yesterday we saw Rock Lee in rather…romantic activities with Sabaku no Gaara.", said Neji.

"Yes, t-that was it! A-and you know how t-they're both, y-you know, shy a-and stuff, so they'd probably be a little uncomfortable i-if anyone had found them…"

"Oh…okay. Yeah, I understand, I wouldn't like I either if someone found me making out in a corner."

"R-Right…well, I-I'm going upstairs now, I have to c-clean my room…" Hinata got up and walked to the door.

"Yeah…I have to go train…um, see you later." Neji went to the other door, which led to the backyard of the compound.

"S-see you, nii-san…t-thank you for the tea…"

They both walked out of the room, leaving Hanabi alone.

'Honestly, as if I'd fall for that one, nee-san...'

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**Thanks for reading!! Hope you liked it! I personally thought it was a little crappy...I promise I'll do better on the next one!  
**

**Please R&R, reviews make me sing and dance XD  
**


	5. Doubt and Panic

**Hello pplz!**

**Before you beat me with a pointy stick and then set me on fire: The reason why I published this chapter so late was that I had exams and ****barely ****had any time to breathe...hope you're not too mad at me... *huge teary eyes***

**Well, better late than never, so here you have it! After three long weeks, it's finally done...  
**

**Hope you enjoy it, and as always thank you very very much for all the lovely reviews I've receieved so far XD you people are the ones who brighten my day!^_^**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

**P.S.: Kusagakure = Hidden Grass Village  
**

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"C'mon…please…nothing yet?…"

Three weeks had passed since New Year's Day. Hinata was sitting on the toilet for the third time that morning, checking for any signs of her period, which was still missing.

"It was supposed to come like a week ago…" She got out of the toilet and went to her room. She picked up her calendar from the wall and counted the days. 'Yup, no mistake, it should've been at the start of last week...and today's already Friday...'

'_You know what this means…_'

'What?…no, no, that's not it.'

'_How are you so sure?_'

'I don't know…because it was a one-time thing…and my first time ever.'

'_So?_'

'So…it's not very likely that it would happen right on the first try...'

'_It could…it_'_s not impossible, you know._'

'And besides…if it were that, I'd also be feeling sick and throwing up and stuff...right?'

'_Not necessarily. Lots of women don_'_t have any symptoms._'

'It can't be that…it just can't…', Hinata thought. Since she couldn't remember much about it, the whole thing now seemed like some really twisted dream, so it seemed impossible that it could actually have any consequences, especially…_that._

Dismissing the thought, she exited the bathroom and went to her room. When she entered the room she spotted a small bird on the window, with a folded piece of paper attached to its left leg. 'A message? From who?' She took the paper and petted the head of the little bird, who chirped and flew away. She unfolded the paper note and read it:

«Hyuuga Hinata, your presence is requested in the Hokage's office. Please come ASAP.»

"From the Hokage?…I wonder what she wants from me…" She grabbed her coat from the chair and slipped out the window.

---

Arriving at the Hokage's office, she knocked on the door and Shizune opened it and let her go inside. In the office, leaning against a corner, was her cousin Neji, and sitting on a chair in front of the Hokage's desk was Ino, with a rather bored look on her face.

"Um…g-good morning, Hokage-sama.", she said, bowing.

"Ah, Hinata, you're here" Tsunade said, smiling. "I'm just waiting for one more person to arrive, and then I will tell you the reason why I called all of you here."

As soon as she finished speaking, though, the door almost burst open and Naruto entered the office.

"Yo! What's up, Tsunade baa-chan?", he said, putting his hands behind his head and grinning.

"Is that any way to greet the Hokage, you brat?!" Tsunade asked, her eyebrow twitching. "Well, never mind…", she sighed. "Let's get to the point. I called the four of you here because I have a mission for you. A very important merchant's son was kidnapped and he is asking for our help. The reports we received say that the kidnappers were seen entering Kusagakure, but there is no proof that they stayed there, they could've very well taken him somewhere else."

"So, we're supposed to go to Kusagakure and try to track them down and rescue the merchant's son?", asked Ino.

"Yes, that's correct. The mission leader will be Neji, since he's a Jounin,…" Hinata noticed Neji's chest slightly swelling with pride "…and you are to leave as soon as possible. You are now dismissed."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama", they all said in unison and left the Hokage's office.

"Yatta! Finally a chance to kick some ass after all this time!" screamed Naruto as they were leaving the Hokage building. "Ano sa, when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow at dawn. It's a two-day walk to Kusagakure, so I suggest that today we get everything we need for this mission, and get some rest.", Neji said.

"Ok, Neji-kun", said Ino. "I've gotta run now, I promised my dad I'd help on the shop today. See you tomorrow!", she said, running off.

"Damn, I'm hungry! Hey, Hinata, wanna go grab some ramen with me?"

"Um…N-Naruto-kun…", Hinata stuttered. Neji inwardly rolled his eyes at her, already used to his cousin's behaviour on all things concerning Naruto. However, he was surprised at her following answer.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I d-don't really feel like having ramen today…I-I hope you w-won't get angry…"

'What happened to her enormous crush on Ramen-boy?!…', he thought.

"Of course not! Why should I be angry?", Naruto said, grinning. "Well, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, then! Bye Neji!" he turned away, hopping towards Ichiraku's ramen stand.

Ok, s-see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun!" she waved at his distant figure.

"I swear, sometimes he reminds me of a monkey…" Neji mumbled to himself, making Hinata giggle.

"Don't say that, nii-san, he's sweet.", she said, smiling.

'She didn't blush and defend him like she used to…interesting.', Neji thought again.

"Right…um, Hinata-sama, I also have to leave, I have to go take care of the arrangements for the mission."

"Ok nii-san, I'll see you at home…" With that, Neji sped off into the distance. Hinata turned around and started walking towards the Hyuuga compound.

---

Arriving back home, Hinata went to the bathroom again to check on her "current problem".

"Nothing…man, why is this happening? Could it really be _that_?…", she mumbled to herself, opening the door to leave the bathroom.

"Why is what happening?", said the voice of her sister, who was leaning on the wall of the corridor, next to the bathroom door. "Is everything alright, nee-san?"

"H-Hanabi-chan!…Y-you scared me…what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you to leave the loo so that _I_ can go…but now I'm interested. What's happening?"

"Um…w-what? What are y-you talking about, imouto?"

"You were saying something about something happening to you…what was it?"

"N-nothing, I wasn't talking a-about nothing…you must've m-misheard me, Hanabi-chan."

"Are you sure? Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"N-No, I d-don't think so, b-but thanks for worrying, Hanabi-chan…", Hinata said, starting to move away from her sister.

"Nee-san, you were never good at lying…"

"I-I'm telling the truth, imouto, I assure you…I-I've got to go get ready for a m-mission now, ok? I'll see you later!" Hinata rushed off.

"Later Hina-nee-san…" Hanabi trailed off. 'She's not telling me something…', she thought, heading inside the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Hinata was back in her room, packing for her mission the following day.

"Phew, that was close…"

'_If it_'_s really true, she_'_ll find out anyway…_' Hinata's conscience started teasing her once again.

'Don't say that! I-it's not…'

'_What if it __were__? Better yet, what if it __is__?_'

'If it _were _true, I'd be dead...for starters, Otou-san would have my head, he'd probably disown me and throw me out of the house…and I'd have to raise a child on my own, without any help…basically my life would be over.'

'_...And Neji, he would probably hate you more than ever…have you thought about that?_'

'No…' Hinata was starting to panic. 'It can't happen, it just can't. Please Kami, don't let it be true...'

Trembling, she sat on the bed, knees brought close to her chest and her face buried between them. She tried to calm herself but she couldn't think clearly about anything at all, and she felt herself on the verge of tears.

_Knock knock_

"W-who is it?", she said in a hoarse voice.

"It's me", she heard her cousin's voice come from outside the door. "Can I come in?"

'I can't let him see me like this.' She cleared her throat and rubbed her face with her hands to wake herself up from her trance. "Y-yes, nii-san, come in…"

Neji entered the room and handed her a small brown pouch.

"Here, Hinata-sama, you forgot your kunai pouch downstairs. You shouldn't leave it hanging around the house."

"Oh, t-thank you, nii-san, I promise I'll b-be more careful…"

"…hey, Hinata-sama, are you feeling well?"

"W-what? Yes, I-I'm fine, nii-san…why do y-you ask?", said Hinata, feigning a small smile.

"You look a little pale…are you indisposed?"

"No, no, I feel f-fine, nii-san, I'm j-just a little tired…do I l-look _that_ bad?"

"A little, yes. Anyway, if you're done arranging your things for tomorrow, you should rest. I'll see you tomorrow." Neji said, turning around and leaving the room.

Hinata stood staring at the door. She could feel her heart tightening and the tears threatening to come out again. After seeing Neji, she felt even worse about the whole problem. She didn't really mind so much about being disowned or thrown out by her father, seen as he already saw her as unfit for the clan's leadership, but Neji was a whole different matter. He was the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan and she knew he took a lot of pride in it. He had become a source of expectation on her father's eyes and had worked hard to be where he currently was, and she admired him for that. And more importantly, he had grown from an arrogant, frustrated and vengeful boy, into a responsible, wise and much kinder young man.

She couldn't do this to him.

'If anyone finds out about this, his life will be ruined…Otou-san will torture him to death with the cursed seal, he'll be shunned for "corrupting" the heiress, he'll lose everything he fought for…he doesn't deserve this.' A sob escaped from her mouth. 'Kami, what have I done?…'

After a while she stared to feel drowsy and tired, and her head started to become numb and her thoughts clouded, so she laid on the bed and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

___________________________________________________

**Yes!! Finally done XD **

**What do you think will happen to Hinata next? Will Hanabi find out? Is Naruto really a monkey?...**

**Tell me what you though about it! Reviews make my hands type faster X3**


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